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- Joined
- Oct 8, 2002
- Messages
- 10
I am so glad that they got such an authority on the matter as Christine Witty to comment. "So like, this stuff is BAD, y'know?"
> Wednesday, October 9
>
> Congressmen introduce anti-andro bill
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----
> By Luke Cyphers
> ESPN The Magazine
>
>
> Congress may send the Mark McGwire pill to the showers.
>
> Two Republican congressmen, including former Nebraska football coach Tom
> Osborne, on Wednesday introduced a bill in Washington to reclassify
> androstenedione and other steroid pre-cursors as controlled substances,
> effectively taking them off the market.
>
> "Andro," as it came to be known in sports circles, gained notoriety when
it
> was revealed that McGwire used it during his record-breaking 70-home run
> season with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998. The news set off the
explosion
> in popularity of the substance, which is sold over-the-counter as a
dietary
> supplement.
>
> Rep. John E. Sweeney, R-N.Y., introduced the bill, calling substances such
> as andro and other pre-hormonal supplements "a serious public health
issue"
> with an adverse effect on the integrity of professional and amateur
athletic
> competition.
>
> Andro and other so-called "pro-hormones" have been marketed as supplements
> that, when ingested, convert to testosterone in the human body and build
> muscle. In effect, andro has been sold as a legal way to gain the benefits
> of using anabolic steroids, which are controlled substances.
>
> Many scientists disagree that andro works as an anabolic steroid, saying
> that it is more likely to convert to the female hormone estrogen and
produce
> breast tissue in males rather than muscle mass.
>
> But when McGwire admitted during the 1998 baseball season to using andro
to
> help him recover from workouts, sales soared -- especially among
teenagers,
> who can buy it at nutrition stores and on the Internet.
>
> Elite athletes in sports such as track and field and the NFL, where andro
> use is banned, also have taken the substance. Sports officials in several
> countries say the use of dietary supplements containing such steroid
> precursors has caused dozens of athletes to test positive for steroids.
>
> The bill has the support of the U.S. Antidoping Agency, the group charged
> with ferreting out drug cheats in Olympic sports. On hand at Wednesday's
> news conference in Washington was Frank Shorter, the USADA chairman, as
well
> as U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Lloyd Ward and Olympic speedskating
gold
> medalist Christine Witty. The NCAA and NFL have also expressed support for
> the bill.
>
> "I think it's great. People were definitely taking supplements they
thought
> were safe, and hidden in there were health risks," Witty said. "Everybody
> believes supplements are safe and they're taking this stuff even going
> beyond the recommended dosage on the label. You're talking about using an
> awful lot of what is a serious drug."
>
> "The message of this bill is clear and pretty simple," Shorter said.
"There
> was a loophole in the law when it was written and when people weren't
aware
> of these steroid precursors. This just closes that loophole."
>
> The bill's language does not enter the debate over whether andro and
related
> substances such as 19-norandrostenedione are effective as muscle-builders.
> It simply calls for classifying as a controlled substance "the immediate
> precursor of a scheduled anabolic steroid, without regard to . the
> requirement that the substance promote muscle growth."
>
> Andro has been legal thanks to liberalization of the United States'
dietary
> supplement laws in 1994. Substances sold as dietary supplements aren't
> subject to the same regulatory scrutiny as those classified as drugs and
can
> be introduced on the market without prior testing for safety or
> effectiveness.
>
> Steroids have long been known to have harmful side effects, including
heart,
> liver and kidney damage, as well as acne and, in heavy users, breast
tissue
> growth in males.
>
> The bill is the second major action against andro producers this year. In
> July, a class action suit was filed against several manufacturers of andro
> and other prohormones, accusing them of fraudulent marketing and selling
> ineffective and dangerous products.
>
> Vincent Lynch, an attorney for the Tampa law firm of Trenam, Kemker, and
> filer of the suit, applauded the proposed change in the law. He says
studies
> he is presenting in the lawsuit show "no increase in testosterone or
muscle
> enhancement" from andro use, but that taking the stuff can lead to adverse
> reactions, especially in children.
>
> "The bottom line is andro has all the negative side effects of steroid
use,"
> Lynch says, "and none of the benefits."
>
>
> Wednesday, October 9
>
> Congressmen introduce anti-andro bill
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----
> By Luke Cyphers
> ESPN The Magazine
>
>
> Congress may send the Mark McGwire pill to the showers.
>
> Two Republican congressmen, including former Nebraska football coach Tom
> Osborne, on Wednesday introduced a bill in Washington to reclassify
> androstenedione and other steroid pre-cursors as controlled substances,
> effectively taking them off the market.
>
> "Andro," as it came to be known in sports circles, gained notoriety when
it
> was revealed that McGwire used it during his record-breaking 70-home run
> season with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998. The news set off the
explosion
> in popularity of the substance, which is sold over-the-counter as a
dietary
> supplement.
>
> Rep. John E. Sweeney, R-N.Y., introduced the bill, calling substances such
> as andro and other pre-hormonal supplements "a serious public health
issue"
> with an adverse effect on the integrity of professional and amateur
athletic
> competition.
>
> Andro and other so-called "pro-hormones" have been marketed as supplements
> that, when ingested, convert to testosterone in the human body and build
> muscle. In effect, andro has been sold as a legal way to gain the benefits
> of using anabolic steroids, which are controlled substances.
>
> Many scientists disagree that andro works as an anabolic steroid, saying
> that it is more likely to convert to the female hormone estrogen and
produce
> breast tissue in males rather than muscle mass.
>
> But when McGwire admitted during the 1998 baseball season to using andro
to
> help him recover from workouts, sales soared -- especially among
teenagers,
> who can buy it at nutrition stores and on the Internet.
>
> Elite athletes in sports such as track and field and the NFL, where andro
> use is banned, also have taken the substance. Sports officials in several
> countries say the use of dietary supplements containing such steroid
> precursors has caused dozens of athletes to test positive for steroids.
>
> The bill has the support of the U.S. Antidoping Agency, the group charged
> with ferreting out drug cheats in Olympic sports. On hand at Wednesday's
> news conference in Washington was Frank Shorter, the USADA chairman, as
well
> as U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Lloyd Ward and Olympic speedskating
gold
> medalist Christine Witty. The NCAA and NFL have also expressed support for
> the bill.
>
> "I think it's great. People were definitely taking supplements they
thought
> were safe, and hidden in there were health risks," Witty said. "Everybody
> believes supplements are safe and they're taking this stuff even going
> beyond the recommended dosage on the label. You're talking about using an
> awful lot of what is a serious drug."
>
> "The message of this bill is clear and pretty simple," Shorter said.
"There
> was a loophole in the law when it was written and when people weren't
aware
> of these steroid precursors. This just closes that loophole."
>
> The bill's language does not enter the debate over whether andro and
related
> substances such as 19-norandrostenedione are effective as muscle-builders.
> It simply calls for classifying as a controlled substance "the immediate
> precursor of a scheduled anabolic steroid, without regard to . the
> requirement that the substance promote muscle growth."
>
> Andro has been legal thanks to liberalization of the United States'
dietary
> supplement laws in 1994. Substances sold as dietary supplements aren't
> subject to the same regulatory scrutiny as those classified as drugs and
can
> be introduced on the market without prior testing for safety or
> effectiveness.
>
> Steroids have long been known to have harmful side effects, including
heart,
> liver and kidney damage, as well as acne and, in heavy users, breast
tissue
> growth in males.
>
> The bill is the second major action against andro producers this year. In
> July, a class action suit was filed against several manufacturers of andro
> and other prohormones, accusing them of fraudulent marketing and selling
> ineffective and dangerous products.
>
> Vincent Lynch, an attorney for the Tampa law firm of Trenam, Kemker, and
> filer of the suit, applauded the proposed change in the law. He says
studies
> he is presenting in the lawsuit show "no increase in testosterone or
muscle
> enhancement" from andro use, but that taking the stuff can lead to adverse
> reactions, especially in children.
>
> "The bottom line is andro has all the negative side effects of steroid
use,"
> Lynch says, "and none of the benefits."
>
>
